Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Trading 0.6% Higher

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report)'s share price rose 0.6% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $156.98 and last traded at $156.93. Approximately 1,640,503 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 76% from the average daily volume of 6,780,338 shares. The stock had previously closed at $155.95.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $162.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. StockNews.com cut shares of Procter & Gamble from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $169.00 to $162.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 18th. Barclays increased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $156.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $168.53.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $159.13 and a 200-day moving average of $152.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $369.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.44.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 23rd. The company reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.70 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $21.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.48 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 17.60% and a return on equity of 34.04%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.59 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, April 19th will be paid a dividend of $1.0065 per share. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio is 62.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In other news, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 3,865 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.60, for a total transaction of $620,719.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 11,886 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,908,891.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 101,704 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.57, for a total value of $15,618,683.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 163,428 shares of the company's stock, valued at $25,097,637.96. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 3,865 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.60, for a total value of $620,719.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 11,886 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,908,891.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 279,063 shares of company stock valued at $43,187,745. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Wyrmwood Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company's stock.

About Procter & Gamble

The Procter & Gamble Company provides branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. It operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. The Beauty segment offers conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments under the Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and Rejoice brands; and antiperspirants and deodorants, personal cleansing, and skin care products under the Olay, Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret, and SK-II brands.